Instrument display case



March 25, 1969 w. F. BAKER 3,434,524

INSTRUMENT DISPLAY CASE Filed May 9, 1968 Sheet of 3 FIG.I 26 FIG.2

INVENTOR.

WILLIAM F. BAKER ATTORNEYS 7 March 25, 1969 w. F. BAKER INSTRUMENT DISPLAYCASE 4 Filed May 9, 1968 Sheet 3 of 3 FIG. 4

INVENTOR.

WILLIAM F. BAKER BY 2 ,WW J

ATTORNEYS Sheet 5 of 5 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS FIG. 6

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March 25, 1969 Filed May 9, 1968 50 66 42 W-zs United States Patent US. Cl. 220-59 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE My disclosure is concerned with a packaging system suitable for instrument display having an open front and a detachable cover for the opening. The underside of the cover is formed with a number of channels to receive retaining members that are secured to or formed integrally with the forward end of the container. One of the retaining members is resiliently biased to be normally urged into firm engagement with its associated channel but may be sprung out of the channel to permit removal of the cover from the container. A window is incorporated into the cover to permit visual inspection of the interior of the container without removing the cover and slots are formed in the front surface of the cover to receive nameplates or legend cards.

My invention is concerned with a packaging and display case having an open front end and a detachable front end cover. Retaining members are secured to and are formed about the open end of the container and are intended to be received by channel-like recesses formed in the back of the cover itself. One of the retaining members is biaed toward its associated channel in the cover so that when the cover is attached to the container the biasing of that retaining member elfects a firm gripping of the cover. An opening, provided in the cover, is in communication with the channel into which the biased retaining member fits, the opening permitting the insertion of a simple probe into the channel and into engagement with the biased retaining member so as to spring the biased retaining member out of the channel, thereby freeing the cover from the grip of the retaining members and enabling removal of the cover.

My invention may be incorporated into any package in which it is desirable to provide a readily detachable cover. It is particularly useful, for example, when the container is intended to enclose an electronic device having removable or replaceable components such as cold cathode display tubes or the like. Such electrical apparatus is frequently arranged in a rack-and-panel assembly, the panel being the front cover of a chassis which can be slid from the rack after the panel itself is freed from the rack. In some instances, the panel remains attached to the chassis and the whole unit is mounted on rollers to permit it to be withdrawn easily from the rack. Access to replaceable display members disposed behind a non-detachable cover is thus made most inconvenient, because additional disassembly of the particular package mounted on the panel is necessary before the display member can be replaced. Much the same difliculty is encountered when electrical apparatus is enclosed in a cabinet, access to display members constituting an unnecessary problem.

Among the objects of my invention is to provide a readily detachable cover for the front end of a modular package so as to provide access to objects disposed within the package without requiring removal of the objects.

Another object of my invention is to provide an instrument display case that readily lends itself to front panel mounting in a cabinet or rack-and-panel assembly and 3 ,434,624 Patented Mar. 25, 1969 which also provides access to the interior of the case without requiring its removal from the cabinet.

Another object of my invention is to provide an instrument display case or package having a removable front cover to enable substitution of covers of different configuration thereby providing front cabinet panel customizing capability.

Other objects of my invention will become apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings therein:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of the container and cover therefor supported by a panel member;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of a panel to which the container is secured;

FIGURE 3 is an illustration of the container and cover mounted thereto omitting the panel to which the container is secured;

FIGURE 4 is a view of the container similar to FIG- URE 3 with the cover removed;

FIGURE 5 is a view of the back side of the cover that faces the interior of the container;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view of the container and attached cover taken along the lines 66 of 'FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view of the container and at tached cover taken along the lines 7-7 of FIGURE 1.

As shown in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 a boxlike container 10 having a base wall 12, a pair of sidewalls 14 and top wall 16 is provided and is intended, in the illustrative embodiment of my invention, to receive and support a printed circuit board 18 or similar object. A rear cover 20 which may be formed integrally with the top plate 16 is adapted to cover the rearward portion of the container 10 and to leave an opening 22 at the rearward portion of the container 10 to enable the printed circuit board 18 to be removably inserted into the container 10 from the rear.

As FIGURES 4 and 7 show, the sidewalls 14 have laterally extending brackets 24 formed integrally with their respective sidewalls 14. The brackets 24 enable the container 10 to be fastened to a panel or cabinet wall 26 by means of the screws 28. Secured to and extending forwardly from each of the brackets 24 is a positioning bracket 30, the function of which will later be evident.

Formed integrally with and disposed at the interior of each of the sidewalls 14 are a pair of vertically disposed channels 32 that extend inwardly into the container 10. The container 10 is assembled by means of the upper screws 34 and lower screws 36 which respectively secure the top wall 16 and base wall 12 to the sidewalls 14, the screws 34 and 36 being threaded into the upper and lower ends of the channel 32 respectively.

A horizontal slot 38 is formed at the lower end of each of the channels 32 and the slots serve as shelves to support the printed circuit board 18. When the container 10 and printed circuit board 18 are fully assembled, the lower screws 36, as may be seen from FIGURE 4, extend upwardly in the channel 32 beyond and in blocking relation to the horizontal slots 38. The printed circuit boards 18 are preferably provided with notches 40 as shown in FIGURE 7 which are intended to embracingly receive the lower screws 36 thus enabling proper positioning of the printed circuit board 18 within the container and precluding the board 18 from sliding within the slots 38 when the unit is fully assembled.

In accordance with my invention the front end of the top wall 16 is provided with an upwardly turned lip 42. A pair of slots 44 are formed in the base wall 12 of the container 10 so as to form a tongue 46 at the front end of the base portion 12. The base portion 12 and hence the tongue 46 is formed from a resillient, spring-like material and the tongue 46 is bent slightly downward as 3 shown in FIGURE 4. The most forward end of the tongue 46 is bent into a downwardly extending retaining lip 48, the lips 42 and 48 being effective to grip and retain a front cover 50 in position at the front end of the container.

The front cover 50 has recesses that include a downwardly facing upper channel 52 and an upwardly facing lower channel 54 formed at its rearward face, the channels 52 and 54 being adapted to respectively receive the lips 42 and 48. The dimensions and spacing of the channels 52 and 54 with respect to the lips 42 and 48 are such that when the cover 50 is supported from the lip 42, the lip 48 will be firmly urged downwardly into the channel 54 to effect a secure grip on the cover 50. Removal of the cover 50 may be facilitated by means of a hole 56 that is formed at the underside of the cover 50 and which intercepts the channel 54 so that an elongated object, such as a screwdriver tip 58, may be inserted upwardly through the hole 56 and into engagement with the lip 48 t raise the tongue 46 to a level where the lip 48 clears the channel 54 (as illustrated in phantom in FIGURE 6). With the lip 48 in this raised condition the bottom of the cover 50 may be swung forwardly as indicated by the arrow 60 in FIGURE 6 thereby removing the cover 50 and exposing the front of the interior of the container 10.

The cover 50 may be provided with ridges 61 or other distinguishing features. By a choice of a number of different or similar covers 50, a cabinet or panel may be readily customized in appearance.

A window 62 which may be formed from Plexiglas, glass or a similar transparent sheet material is supported within slots 64 that are formed within the cover 50 and permits inspection of cold cathode display tubes or other read-out devices disposed behind the cover and within the interior of the container. Additional slots 66 may be formed at the front face of the cover 50 to retain nameplates or similar legend bearing cards. When a plurality of such containers are mounted to a panel, the windows 62 may be of different colors so as to render them readily distinguishable.

The lateral positioning of the cover 50 on the front of the container 10 is effected by the positioning brackets 30, the lateral spacing of which is sufficient to receive the cover 50 therebetween but to preclude lateral shifting of the cover 50.

From the foregoing it should be apparent that the contained object, such as the circuit board 18, may be removed, after the screws 36 have been loosened. Removal may be rearwardly through the slot 22 or if desired the cover 50 may be removed and the board 18 may be removed from the front. My invention is particularly useful when the board 18 supports replaceable electrical components such as display tubes or the like. Instead of removing the complete board 18 and then replacing the component only the cover 50 need be removed to expose the component and enabling its replacement. The window 62 in the front cover 50 enables an inspection of the interior of the container 10 to be made rapidly without removing the cover 50.

Although I have described my invention as being embodied in a package or container for an electronic device, it should be appreciated that it may be incorporated into any container when it is desirable to provide a readily detachable cover for the container.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a container having top and bottom walls and an open front portion between said top and bottom walls,

means for removably covering said open front portion comprising:

a cover having an upper recessed portion formed at the upper portion thereof, said upper recessed portion being adapted to receive at least a portion of the forward end of said top wall in such a manner as to support said upper portion of said cover;

said cover having a lower recessed portion formed at the lower portion thereof, said lower recessed portion being adapted to receive a downwardly biased retaining member in such a manner that said cover may be firmly gripped by said portion of said top wall and said retaining member;

means mounting said downwardly biased retaining member to said bottom wall of said container; and

means enabling yieldable upward urging of said downwardly biased retaining member to effect disassociation of said retaining member from said lower recessed portion of said cover thereby causing a release of said firm gripping of said cover and permitting its removal.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means mounting said downwardly biased retainer member to said bottom wall of said container comprises:

a resilient tongue-like member secured to said bottom wall and extending forwardly therefrom; and means mounting said retaining member to the forwardly extending end of said tongue-like member; said downward biasing of said retaining member being effected by the resilient character of said tongue-like member.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said lower recessed portion of said cover comprises a channel having an upwardly directed opening and wherein said retaining member comprises:

a lip formed at the forward end of said tongue-like member and extending downwardly therefrom so as to be engageable with said channel of said cover.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein said bottom wall is formed of said resilient material said bottom wall having a pair of laterally spaced slots formed at the forward end thereof, that portion of said bottom wall that is disposed between said slots comprising said tongue-like member.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3 further comprising:

said cover having an opening formed at the lower end thereof, said opening being in communication with said lower channel in the region where said retaining member is received in said channel thereby enabling an object to be inserted through said opening into engagement with said retaining member so as to urge said retaining member upwardly out of said channel thereby disassociating said retaining member from said channel and enabling removal of said cover.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

a pair of laterally spaced positioning brackets supported by said top and bottom walls, said positioning brackets being disposed laterally of said open front portion of said container so as to embrace said open front portion theretbetween;

the lateral spacing of said positioning brackets corresponding substantially to the width of said cover so as to enable said cover to be disposed therebetween thereby substantially precluding lateral movement of said cover when said cover is attached to said container.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,747,731 5/1956 Bonanno 206-15 2,936,189 5/1960 Pearson 2061.5

JAMES B. MARBERT, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 206--1.5 

